Apparatus for making pipe-molds.



W. C. SWIFT.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING PIPE MOLDS..

APPLICATION FILED DEG.18, 1909 Patented Dec. 2, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO-,WASHINUTON, D. c

UNITED STATES PATENT ounce.

w iters d. were, or ddshodrdh, were.

s'p e'cf fieation of warrants Patented lh ecl- {9 131 Applicationfiled Decemlier is, 969. serial No. 531942.

T 0 allw/w'm/z't may 0011061344;

Be it known that I, \Vmms C. Swrri, a citizen of the" United States, at present residing at Coshoc tong' county of Coshocton, State of @hio, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Apparatusfor Making Pipe-Molds, of Which the following is a specification.

This inventioii relates to apparatus for use in making moldsya'ncl" particularly sand molds employed" in the manufacture of pipes.

The object of the invention is to provide mea'iis which are simple and eflicient for supplying automatically to the flask as the mold is made, the sand or'other composifore carriedout 1t hasbeeli'proposed to sup tion required toma-ke the mold, and in such uniform quantities as are required to pro duce uniformity in themold when completed.

A further object is to" provide means whereby the mold forming operation and the supply of sand to" the mold forming mechanism, may be carried on continuously and uniformly.

Other ob ect's of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The inventionconsists substantially inthe combinations, location; construction, and relative arrangement of parts; all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown in the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying dI'avving ;'-Figure 1 is a view in central longitudinal section of a mold forming mechanism embodying the principles of my invention. Fig. 2 is a broken view in longitudinal section, showing a modified arrangement; embraced within the scope of my invention. Fig. 3 is a View in transverse horizontal section on the line 3, 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is an end view of the lower end of the tubeemployed in the modified arrangement of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a broken view in-longitudinal section of another modified arrangement embraced in the scope of my invention. Fig; 6 is a broken detail view in longitudinal central section showing the hinged hopper gates or doors and supporting fingers, of the construction shown in Fig. 2.

The same part designated'by the same reference sign wherever it occurs through out the several views.

In the manufacture of molds, and par ticularly sand molds for use in cast iron l pipe-niaking,it is of very great importance to secure molds of uniform" density through? out. Ifa mold is formed with soft spots,

or portions thereof of different relative densities, then' the result is that when the pipe is cast in the mold, or when the molten metal'is poured into the ,moldin casting the pipe, the mold is liable to breakdown ply' the sand or other composition to the flask in which the mold is formed-by hand,

or by a workman suitably stationed for the purpose, the sa1d sand or composltion being suppliedby the Wo-rkman'fromtime to time as the body pattern'advances into'the flash to form the mold. The practical difficulty with thisformer procedure and which rendered' it unsatisfactory and objectionable,

is that a Workman is unableto'see down'into the flasl'rinto which he is required to deposit the successive quantities of sand, so as todetermine'just exactly the amount of sand requi-red'to'be deposited at any given instant, and consequently the workman is liable'to supply too much or too little sand atariy given time. If too smallan amount of sand is supplied at any time a soft place isleft inthe mold at that point, and if too great an amount of sandis supplied to the flask, thesa'nd is liable to pack and block 'the further advance of the ramming head of the body p attern,-the'reby arresting the entire mold forming operation of the machine. V v

7 It 1s among the special purposes of my present invention to'provlde means for obviating theobjections noted, and in carrying out my inventlon I pro-pos'e'to employ auto- -mat1c means for regulating and'contrcllmg the supply of sand in suchmanne'r that the sand is supplied in uniform quantities as requlred andas the" raminer and body pattern advance into the flash to perform their Work, thereby insuring the production' of molds of guniform density throughout, and avoiding g'interruption of the continuous operation of 3 the; machine.

My inventionmay be carried outiri" a wide variety of specifically different constructions. While, therefore, I have shown, and will now describe various forms of embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that, in its broadest scope as defined in the claims, my invention is not to be limited or restricted to the particular constructions shown and described.

So far as my present invention is concerned the particular construction of mold forming mechanism employed in connection with my invention in the details thereof is not ofmaterial consequence. As an operative-arrangement which I have selected for .the purpose of illustrating the application of my invention to practical use, I have shown a plunger '13, operating in a cylinder A, by hydraulic pressure, the water being admitted to the lower end of the cylinder through a pipe connection H, and being exhausted therefrom through connection 0, cont-rolled by a valve X, operated and con trolled bya rod I. The plunger B, carries a body pattern D, designed to'advance into a flask F, positioned in line with the line of movement of the pattern D, and to properly iron out or smooth the interior surface of the mold. At its end the body pattern terminates in a ramming head E, designed to compress the sand in the flask, and to shape the same properly to form the body of the mold. The body pattern D operates through a socket pattern V, positioned at to be engaged by some convenient part of the'plunger or body pattern, as the latter approach the final limit of their advancing movement into the flask,and thereby moved toward the base end oft-he flask in order to compress the sand atzthe socket end of the mold, and shape and'form the same. The flask and socket pattern are supported in proper alinement with the plunger and body pattern. A supporting plate M, is shown for this purpose, this plate being'carried by supporting standards G. The flask, which is removable may be secured and locked in its centered and alined position as, for instance,

by dowel pins and cotters, as indicated at C, or otherwlse as may be desired.

In the operation of an apparatus such as above described after the flask and socket pattern have been preoperly positioned and sand are added from time to time to keep the advancing end or rammer head of the body pat-tern covered. The Very great difli culty heretofore experienced in the use of apparatus of this nature is that it is impossible to know or to ascertain whether the exact amount of sand required at any time has been supplied. It is impossible for the workman to see down into the flask, and as the supply of the sand is necessarily more or less intermittent the result is that soft places due to too little sand, occur at points throughout the length of the mold, or else a choking or looking effectis produced by too great a supply of sand, thereby necessitating an arrest of the operation. The occurrence of either of these difliculties is exceedingly objectionable.

In accordance with my invention I avoid the difficulty by supplying the sand to the flask automatically as the body pattern advances into the flask, and in just the required amounts to prevent the formation of soft parts or to cause choklng or clogging of the operation.

In Fig. 1 I have shown one arrangement jfor carrying my invention into practical use, and as applied to the mold forming mechanism above described. In this arrangement I employ a hopper 10 wh1ch 111 Y the form shown, but to which my invention as defined in the claims is not to be limited or restricted, is rectangular in cross section, and open at its lower end. This hopper E rests upon or is carried or supported by an 5 open ended sand chute 11, the latter in turn, the base of the flask, and which is designed when the apparatus is in position for use, resting upon or being supported by the open end of the flask, and delivering into the flask. arranged within the hopper 10, and spaced Eat equal distances apart therein. plates or trays are connected by hinges, as indicated at 13, to one side of the hopper vwhereby they may swing thereon. a are retained in horizontal position in trans- A series of plates or trays, 12, are

These They verse relation with respect to the hopper 10, by means of latches 17 yieldingly held in 'en a in relation b means of sarin s 15 see Fig. 3. WVhen these plates or trays are held in'position by their retaining spring latches, they divide the hopper into a series of chambers or pockets of equal volume. Now by filling all of these chambers or pockets with sand and then successively releasing the spring retaining latches of the trays or plates, as the body pattern and its ramming head advance into the flask, the successive small chambers or pockets deposit their respective charges of sand into the flask. A convenient arrangement for successively releasing the trays or plates, commencing with the lowermost one, is shown wherein a rod 16, is provided and is mounted on the end of the ramming head E. This rod is provided with a beveled upper end, which is arran ed to slide under the successive latches 1 and force them out of reire-mote taining'relationwith respect tothe plates-or trays, thereby successively releasing the plates or trays 12, as the body pattern and rammer head advancethrough the flask. The distance apart of the plates or trays to provide the required area of chamber for the correct amount of sand to be deposited each time intothefl'ask can be readily de'-' termined by experiment, and, when once determined remains fixed. The rod 16, by means of which the retaining devices of the plates or trays are released, may be guided in its advancing movement in any suitable manner. For instance, it may operate through a slot or openingin' the sand chute 11, or the spring latches themselvesmay constitute guides for said rod. The operation of this arrangement is very simple. With the parts in position ready for the op-' operation to begin thebodfy pattern and its ramming head are advanced. into the fl ask, thereby also advancing the rod 16, and releasing the retaining device of'the first shelf or tray 12,,and hence permitting its charge of sand to spill down the-chute 11 and into the flask. The further advances of the body pattern, its ramming head and the rod 16, successively release-the several trays which. thereupon deposit their charges of sand, in like manner, into the flask. In this manner the automatic supply of therequired amounts of sand is secured, and the operation is carried on continuously without danger of forming soft places in the mold or. of. clogging up After the last plate'or tray required to be released has spilled its charge into the flask the ramming head is advanced through the upper end of the flask in order to ram the loose sand at that end. The body pattern is then withdrawn from the flask, the rod 16, hopper 10 and chute 11, are removed, by means of a crane or otherwise, and the flask, with the mold formed therein, is then removed and replaced by an empty flask, a filled hopper together with its chute and a releasing rod 16, are then placed in position and the apparatus is again ready for the next operation.

The hoppers may be filled in any suitable manner. I have shown an arrangement wherein the hopper is placed horizontally with the upper side thereof open, and a sand riddle, indicated at 18, is located above the upper open sideof the hopper for the purpose of flaking the sand into the compartments formed in the hopper by the plates or trays 12. When these compartments are thus filled, the open side of the hopper is closed and the hopper is ready to be applied to the flask on the molding machine.

The sand chute 11, is not an essential of my invention and can be omitted, as indicated, in Fig. 5, wherein the hopper is shown as made in two parts 19, 20, each provided with compartment-s formed by hinged trays or'pl'ates 12. In: this arrangement the spring locking latches for the pl atesare positioned on the opposed faces got the hopper parts 19, 20, to be released by the rod 21*, which, for this purpose has its releasing end provided with a double bevel, as shown.

In Figs. 2 and 4 I have shown a modified arrangement embraced within the spirit and scope of my invention, wherein' a cylindrical or tubular hopper 22 of desired l'engtlr is" d'esignedtofit loosely intothe flask. Supporting legs 28 secured to the lowerend of the tubular hopper extend below said lower end and rest upon the rammerhead E, there-- by forming a support for the hopper: At its lower end the hopper is provided with a door made in sections 24, hinged to the hopper by hinges 26, andcontrolled by a chain or other suitable'connection, 25 ex-- tending up through the hopper and having short sections at its lower end' respectively connected to the door sections 24.. By slackeningthis chain or connection the door sections swing downwardly 'under the-weigl'it of" the sand imposed thereon to cause the sand with which the-hopper is filled to spill out through the lower end of the hopper into the flask andoverand around the upper end of the ramming head of the body pat-- tern: This'spill of thesand c'ontinuesas the ramming head advances. The space re- .quired to be filled by this spilling sand is, E of: course controlled by theheight above the ramming head at which the lower end of the hopper is supported. This height is regulated by the length of the supporting legs 23, and when this height is once determined by experiment to suit the particular requirements of the case, it remains fixed at that point.

Other specific forms of apparatus may be devised and employed for carrying my invention into operation and still fall within the spirit and scope of my invention as broadly defined in the claims.

Having now set forth the object and nature of my invention and various constructions and arrangements embodying the principles thereof, what I claim as new and useful, and of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a flask, a body pattern, and means for operating the latter, of a hopper supported on the flask and delivering thereto, a series of plates or trays arranged in the hopper to divide the same into compartments, each compartment adapted to contain sand, retaining devices for said plates or trays, and means for automatically releasing said retaining devices in succession.

2. The combination with a flask, a body pattern, and means for operating the lat- &

ter, of a hopper supported on .the flask and delivering thereto, a series of plates or trays arranged'in the hopper to divide the same into compartments, each adapted to contain sand, retaining devices for said plates or trays, and means operated by the advance of the pattern into the flask for successively releasing said retaining devices.

3. In an apparatus for making sand molds, a pattern, a flask open at both ends and arranged in line With the pattern, means for advancing the pattern into the flask through one end thereof, and means con trolled by the pattern as it advances into the flask for automatically supplying sand to the flask through the other end thereof.

LIn an apparatus for making sand molds, a pattern, a flask open at both ends and arranged in line With the pattern, means for continuously advancing the pattern into the flask through one end thereof, and means controlled by the pattern for automatically supplying sand to the flask through the other end of the flask as the pattern advances into the flask.

.5. In an apparatus for making sand molds, a pattern, a flask open at both ends and arranged in line with the pattern, a sand hopper arranged to deliver sand into one end of the flask, means for advancing the pattern into the flask through the other end thereof, and means operated by the pat- 'tern as it advances into the flask to control the delivery of the sand from the hopper into the flask.

6. In an apparatus for making sand molds, a pattern, a flask open at both ends and arranged in line with the pattern, sand hopper arranged above the upper end of the flask, means for advancing the pat-- tern into the flask through the lower end of the flask, and means operated by thepattern as it advances into the flask for controlling the delivery of successive quantities of sand from the hopper into the flask.

7. In an apparatus for making sand molds, a pattern, a flask open at both ends and arranged in line with the pattern, a

sand hopper having a series of compart- 'ments adapted to contain the molding sand and arranged over the upper end of the flask, means for advancing the pattern into the flask through the lower end of the flask, and means operated by the pattern as it advances into the flask for successively opening said compartments to cause the sand contained therein to be delivered into the flask as the pattern advances.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of the subscribing Witnesses, on this 14 day of Dec. A. D., 1909.

WILLIS G. SIVIFT. Witnesses:

R. H. MILLS, T. F. G. WHEELER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

